Fight for Survival
by cristina reid
Summary: Back with Merred Slash! Dark themes! Warnings inside!


A/N: Hey, my lovely people. I am back! I really wanted to make another Merred story. So be prepared for OOC characters. Slightly Dark Arthur and even Darker Uther! Kind Cenred! Cenred and Balinor are besties. Merred SLASH! Non-magical Merlin!

Chapter 1

Merlin smiled happily as he turned to the next page in his book. He lay on his stomach in his bed in his chambers, big clear-blue eyes swam through the page, taking in every word of the novel he'd been working on reading for the past two weeks. Merlin finally got some alone time without his father trying to persuade him to practice his sword fighting. Merlin was a lover, not a fighter.

"Merlin!?"

The young man sighed, and turned to yet another page of his book.

"Merlin?! There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you."

Merlin groaned and folded the corner of the page he was on, so he wouldn't lose his place.

"Come, son. We must not be late."

"Father, I do not like sword fighting." Merlin rolled off the bed.

"That's not why I am calling you. Cenred expects us in the throne room. He says it's urgent."

Merlin gave a slight nod, before laying his book on his bed, then he followed Balinor.

When they reached the throne room Cenred was standing with his hands behind his back, he seemed like he was just pacing, but stopped when the doors open and Balinor walked in with Merlin following behind. Cenred's emotionless expression turned to a slight smile at Merlin, a smile Merlin gladly returned back and slightly bowed before climbing the tiny steps that led up to the throne next to Cenred.

Cenred cleared his throat then turned to his best friend of so many years as Balinor reached out and the men greeted each other.

"What is happening?" Balinor asked confused as he stared at the unfamiliar people around them, wearing the all too familiar Camelot colors.

"Uther has sent warning." Cenred stared at the men surrounded by his own knights. "A late warning, I wonder why." He said sarcastically. "We have less than an hour before they arrive."

Merlin stared at the knights surrounded by their own before looking back at the King. "How will he even have time to do that? I mean, how did they get in our boarders with no one seeing?"

"Apparently he is desperate." Cenred said with lined lips. The King heard chuckles and looked down at the intruders.

"I know our King Uther well. He will enjoy breaking your mouth, boy." A few of Camelot's knights chuckled deeply, a few of the knights looked a bit wiser than that.

Cenred slowly walked over to the knight. The King stood a good two feet taller than the short knight, Cenred's gaze seemed to be all the more darker as he sneered at the man. "Do not talk to him."

The man smiled coldly. "Prince Arthur would enjoy him even more."

Merlin only had time to flinch as Cenred pulled out a dagger from his side and struck the man in the neck. Merlin shut his eyes and turned his head, he could only listen to the body fall to the ground. When he heard footsteps he looked back over at Cenred who whispered to Balinor. Balinor nodded dutifully then nodded to their knights who began dragging Camelot's soldiers away. Cenred grabbed Merlin by the arm and pulled him out of the throne room.

"Cenred? Cenred, wait! Stop!" The young man pulled his arm away. "What is going on? What aren't you telling me?"

Cenred turned to Merlin and sighed and brought his hand to Merlin's naturally pale face. "Merlin, we don't have time. You must leave the kingdom."

"Leave? Why?"

Cenred only sighed.

"I'm not leaving you alone to fight!" His face was grabbed with both of Cenred's hands.

"Merlin. I do not have time for this. I have to get the armies. I have to protect the people. This way, I can protect you."

Merlin stared the man in the eye before realization hit him . "They're not coming for a treaty."

Cenred nodded gently in confirmation.

"They're coming for war?!"

Again Cenred nodded. "But I intend to beat them. Destroy them. Then I will come back, to find you and to marry you."

Merlin reached up and grabbed Cenred's hand on his face, leaning into the touch before kissing the hand. "Why is this happening now?" He asked confused. He sighed, low and stared at the emulate around the King's chest.

"I do not know. Some people are just no good, Merlin. It is our job to protect our people, that is it. We do what we can do. And I can not if I am worrying about your safety."

Again Merlin sighed, this time in defeat and nodded as Cenred placed a kiss to his forehead. Both men jumped when the sudden horns blew loud. Cenred ran over to the nearest window and looked out silently cursing. Merlin sucked his bottom lip as he saw an army stop just passed the boarders, and a red carriage stop in front of the castle steps down below.

"What are we going to do?"

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Cenred came back to the throne room almost running. "Merlin, I told you to stay in my chambers!" He was trying to pull away from the young man's grasp. But both of their attention was turned when they entered the throne room to find Balinor on his knees, a cloth in his mouth, and a bloody face.

Merlin's breath hitched as he watched a pulpy man wearing a crown on his head standing over Balinor, with a sword at Balinors neck. Merlin only heard rumors of Uther's monstrous stance, but at this moment nothing compared to the hatred he found he had. Balinor's face was bruised, and he had blood running down the front of his face, which seemed to be tear-streaked.

"Father!"

Cenred held Merlin back with narrow eyes never leaving Uther's sight.

"You know, you should really be careful with whom you trust as your adviser. They sometimes may not be able to carry out your plans."

"What do you want, Uther!" Cenred snarled, tired of Uther's games.

"I want the magic to be stopped!" The other King snarled. "Ban magic forever! The bastards are traveling to Camelot and destroying my kingdom!"

It was Merlin who spoke up, the anger hitting deep inside his chest. "Who are you to tell us how to run our kingdom!? And what makes you think that if we ban magic our sorcerers won't still go to Camelot!?"

"Silence, wretch! Who are you to address me so daring?"

Merlin was about to throw a small dagger he held in his hand, but Cenred quickly stopped him. "He has as much right to speak as any of us."

"And why is that?"

Merlin stared at the younger blond man he had noticed before but completely ignored since his father's well being was more important. Merlin also noted the way the blond eyed him as he walked in the room. He quickly decided he did not like the blond.

"As my heir, Merlin is-"

"Heir?" Uther eyed the younger man making Merlin very uncomfortable. "You do not have a son." Uther pointed out knowingly.

"They're engaged."

Merlin looked towards the blond who was standing with his arms crossed, but one hand rubbing his chin.

"I have a proposal." The blond walked to the center of the room.

"You're in no position to make anything." Cenred hissed. "You are not even King, yet."

Merlin stared at the blond. King? So the blond was Uther's heir. Basically, Uther's son, Prince Arthur, who Merlin so frequently heard about.

Arthur continued speaking as if Cenred did not just turn down any offer he made. "We will leave your kingdom," Arthur walked around the throne room as he spoke. Then he stopped just a couple of feet away from Merlin. "But, we'll take him."

Merlin was still behind Cenred protectively. The King's arm holding him out of harms way. "Are you crazy?" The young man snarled. "I will never go with you, Prat!"

Arthur only stared with a smile. "Exactly."

Everyone watched Arthur continue his walk around the room. "We all know the only way to satisfy my father," The blond smirked at Uther, who sent back his darker smile towards his son. "Is to see you suffer." Arthur looked back at Cenred, who was biting the inside of his lip. "Choose. The loss of your . . . bride, or the loss of hundreds of innocents down in the villages."

Merlin leaned towards Arthur. "This isn't right!" He snarled through gritted teeth. "You can not just come in our kingdom and take what you want just because we don't rule the way you do!"

Arthur shrugged. "Don't forget we also have your father, who makes a very good bargaining chip as well." Arthur stared down at Balinor. The man hadn't moved from his spot on the floor. He couldn't, with three of Uther's knights holding him down.

That was when it happened. All at once the castle shook and piles of brick fell from the ceiling. Uther's knights panicked and started scattering.

"Come back, you morons!" The evil King yelled as his men moved about, trying to dodge falling bricks. "I told the idiots to wait for my signal!"

Cenred didn't have to think twice as he pushed Merlin hard on the ground, behind the two thrones. Then the king ran over to his friend, Balinor, who was suddenly buried under a small pile of rubble.

Merlin was pushed on the floor and landed on his stomach. He winced at the pain of hitting one of the thrones before he hit the ground. Merlin leaned up on his arms and saw the window to the throne room was now a huge hole. He gasped at the sight. He could see smoke rising towards the sky. No doubt the villages below were suffering.

"No." He breathed sadly, before he jumped to his feet and ran towards the windows. Merlin's mouth stood slightly open in shock at the sound of villagers screaming, men and woman alike. He flinched at the sight of bodies splattered near the castle grounds.

There was a dark chuckle behind him, and Merlin spun on his heal. "Does this satisfy you?!"

Arthur just walked closer. "It doesn't upset me." He eyed the slim body up and down. "What would satisfy me though . . . "

Merlin pushed the blond's hand away when Arthur reached out to touch his face. Again Arthur chuckled dark before his smile vanished and his hand shot out, grabbing Merlin around the throat by surprise. Merlin moved back trying to dislodge the harsh grip and gasping for air.

"I've never met anyone like you. I'm going to have fun breaking you."

Merlin's lips lined and he tried to gulp dryly, but couldn't thanks to the hand at his throat. His body was now almost out the window when he noticed Arthur use his mouth to open a smile vile. He spit the cork across the room.

"What is that?" Merlin tried turning his face, but to no prevail. "Don't . . . No! Cen-" He yelled was silenced with a punch to the cheek. He spun around hitting the wall, so he didn't have time to move when Arthur reached around and brought a cloth to Merlin's mouth and nose.

"I can't have you fighting me," At the mention of Cenred, Arthur spun them around to see the King fighting a group of Uther's knights. "Not when I can take you, and by the time your finace realizes it, it's too late."

Merlin could no longer hold his breath and screamed. The chemical released into his nose and a few short moments later, he was out cold in Arthur's hands.

A/N: I will update when I can. I'm job hunting. Review, please :)


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